Developmental Milestones for Self-Care Tasks

Self-care skills are an important part of development as they empower children to be independent and self-sufficient. They include the daily tasks that are required to participate in life activities. Children are expected to develop self-care skills throughout early childhood and beyond. In order to help you understand the expectations for self-care skill development, we have compiled a comprehensive list of developmental milestones.

Dressing

Typical dressing development occurs between 1 year to 7 years of age. Dressing skills are an important part of school readiness. Before starting school, children should be able to do most dressing independently (apart from doing zippers, small buttons or shoelaces).

Age	Skill Developed
By 12 months	Cooperates with dressing by putting arm or leg out
1-2 years	Tolerates nappy changes Removes socks and shoes Can put on and take off the loose-fitting hat Pushes arms and legs through sleeves or pant legs
2-3 years	Unbuttons large buttons Helps to take off pants and shirt
3-4 years	Able to complete main parts of getting dressed Able to get undressed independently Requires assistance with laces, buttons, zips etc.
4-5 years	Chooses weather-appropriate clothes Zips a zipper
5-6 years	Dresses independently Puts shoes on correct feet Able to tie shoelaces (although many children wear Velcro shoes instead)

Here are some tips to help promote your child’s dressing skills:

• Make dressing routines fun and engaging (e.g. Singing songs and playing with clothes)
• Although dressing usually happens at the start and end of the day, use opportunities throughout the day to practice dressing skills. For example, practice taking off/putting on a hat and shoes when going outside or coming back inside and practice wearing pants when going to the toilet
•  Play dress-ups or dress dolls and animals during pretend play
• For complex tasks such as buttons, zips and shoelaces, practice fine motor skills such as manipulating small objects, threading beads or pasta and posting coins.

Feeding

Typical feeding development occurs between birth to 3 years and can vary depending on the rate of a child’s physical and cognitive development.

Age	Skill Developed
0-3 months	Sucks and swallows well Coordinated suck, swallow and breathing sequence  Liquids only
3-6 months	Shows interest in food Opens mouth for spoon Begins to eat smooth pureed food
6-12 months	Tolerates a range of foods of different textures Holds and drinks from a cup or bottle Finger feeds themselves Begins to drink from an open cup
1-2 years	Able to feed themselves with a spoon Holds and drinks from an open cup Able to distinguish between edible and inedible objects Shows clear likes and dislikes of food
2-3 years	Able to feed themselves with utensils Starts to serve themselves, may have some spills Eats the same foods as the rest of the family Wipes own mouth and hands

Here are some tips to promote feeding skills:

• Encourage exploration of food with hands and mouth – don’t be afraid to get messy!
• Ensure your child’s head, neck and trunk is well supported and has good, seated posture during mealtimes
• Introduce a variety of food tastes as early as 3-6 months of age
• Respect your child’s cues to suggest they like or dislike the food (e.g. Head-turning, keeping mouth shut)
• Keep mealtimes fun!
• Put away other toys or screen time when eating to allow your child to be present in meal times
• Work on self-feeding skills during playtime by using spoons and cups in pretend play or in the bath
• Encourage structured family mealtimes

Toileting

Typical development of toileting skills occurs between ages 1-7 years. It is expected, that children are fully daytime toilet trained with no accidents by the time they start school.

Age	Skill Developed
1-2 years	Lets you know when they need to use the toilet Lets you know when they have wet or soiled their diaper
2-3 years	Uses toilet with assistance (e.g. Wiping and clothes) Distinguishes between urination and bowel movements and names them correctly Able to use the toilet during the day with few accidents Needs reminders and/or diapers at night
3-4 years	Able to use the toilet during the day with no accidents Able to use the toilet at night with no accidents for urination Able to use the toilet at night with some accidents for bowel movements May wear diapers at night
4-5 years	Has complete daytime control for both urination and bowel movements May require reminders for toileting at night
5-7 years	Develops complete nighttime control for both urination and bowel movements

Here are some tips to help promote your child’s toileting skills:

• Routine is extremely important – set a toileting routine and use rewards or charts to motivate your child to follow the routine
• Ensure a balanced diet and plenty of water throughout the day
• Ensure a suitable toilet set up so that your child feels comfortable, relaxed and secure while using it. Use a secure stool for resting feet and ensure toilet paper is easy to reach.
• Seek medical advice from your GP if you have concerns

For more toileting tips, see our blog post https://occupationaltherapy.com.au/toilet-training-tips/

Hygiene

Hygiene relates to tasks such as showering, brushing your teeth and washing your hands. For children, these skills typically develop between 2-8 years of age.

Age	Skill Developed
2-3 years	Uses a napkin to wipe face and hands
3-4 years	Can wash and dry own hands Attempts to brush teeth
4-5 years	Able to wash most body parts independently except for their hair
5-6 years	Brushes teeth independently
6-8 years	Showers independently

 

 Here are some tips to help promote your child’s hygiene skills:

• Make bath times fun and engaging by using bath toys, singing songs and doing water play
• Incorporate showering and brushing teeth routines into pretend to play or role-play activities
• Use a visual schedule to indicate the steps for showering, brushing teeth or washing hands

Please remember that every child is unique and milestones can vary due to a number of different factors and hence, the above should be taken as a general guide. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s self-care skills, please feel free to contact us for advice and further information.